rant archives

Let's diverge a moment for a word on freedom, because I think this is the difficulty for most to grasp about our relationship to the Creator.

Humanity was created to serve. Our nature and design is in serving God and each other.

This was perverted and warped by the Fall, but that innate nature we cannot escape. The software was corrupted, but the hardware is still the same.

That serving nature makes us a wide-open target for anything to enslave us. We have a inner desire to serve, so anything strong can make us its slave.

How free are you?

Can you have a kegger in the Forbidden City? Can you have sex with each and every woman you see? Can you light up in the White House?

You are not free to do things that your conscience forbids, or society, or law and custom, or physics itself forbids. You can attempt, but the consequences are far from free. You compromise and surrender and adapt at every turn.

At some point in your life, a hierarchy establishes itself. And everything in that hierarchy owns a piece of you. A piece of energy, or attention, or habit and ritual, or contemplation, etc. And at the pinnacle of that hierarchy is the thing you love, the thing that you're an abject slave to.

There's no escape from this, it's how we're designed. We will be a slave to one thing or another; GUARANTEED we won't be left alone, isolated, unmolested, uncontaminated, untouched, and uninfluenced.

And we turn into the thing we serve. We reflect its nature and values, its reason for being and its outworkings and ramifications.

What you love, you wish to immerse yourself in; to merge with, to even become. It's all your focus and reason for existing.

Every human has this focus; and it's such a waste when it's aimed at material things.

It's such a tragedy if it's aimed at the wrong intangible thing.

And an absolute disaster when aimed at the Self.

(This is the point at which something internal flinches when I hear 'the Kingdom is within in you'.

Well the Kingdom is definitely evident in the supernatural realm, and to a lesser extent here on earth (just not completely manifested yet), and to that small extent also within you (again, not fully manifested yet)...

...but like getting the cart before the horse -- the search within should be a confirmation of the Reality that God has set before us, (displayed in all the interactions that occur while we occupy this 3D world), and the start of the search begins outward, in the way we treat others, revealed in all the works of creation, revealed in scripture, revealed by teachers -- and that discovery of cosmology leads you back to yourself eventually...

...but the search should ultimately be aimed at the target -- the Originator of this Kingdom, that only exists in a seed state within us in our earthly sojourn; but does exist fully in His domain in Heaven.

Our Father, who is in Heaven (note address), is not stated 'our Father, who is within'...

The Holy Spirit dwells within; Jesus is there when two or more gather in His name; but the Kingdom was always spoken of as being within grasp (literally inches from your nose) -- once again the emphasis was that it was a realm that was external to the observer, that you could become a member of that Kingdom, by turning away from the world and turning towards God.....As a member of that Kingdom, you could technically say that it now was within you -- just as you could say being an American was an internal thing (true enough), but to speak of seeking 'America', no one would consider a self-search more than scratching the surface of finding out what being an American is...

But the injunction to seek the Kingdom of Heaven was never coupled with the command to look within...if we were to look anywhere (as if spiritual things could have a direction or location, which only metaphorically they do), it was to look up....offhand I could think of several quotes that include - in context - looking up...but the only internal searching ones - looking within - are for discovery of the motives of the heart...

Seek God and you'll find Him -- the basic premise is that you lack God, that's why you're searching for Him. Therefore to seek Him within, is searching in the very place He isn't...Seek God, and He will come to you; sounds very much like an external source becomes internal only when found.)

(...now that I've wandered all over the place, back to what I thought I was going to say...)

***And an absolute disaster when aimed at the Self.***

This is the spirit of the antichrist -- better to reign in hell than be a slave in heaven. You could be your own god.

What the spirit of the antichrist never seems to grasp. is that there are those who realize if you're going to be enslaved anyway, why not pick the designer who knows what's best for you, to be a servant for?

And because of that design -- that you'll never escape -- realize that the design had a purpose for your ultimate happiness -- that can't be achieved any other way.

***If we are created in the image, then do we not have all the tools within us to find this place called heaven, bringing the search once more back inward to connection outward one must be prepared inward?***

My child is created in my image, but does not have the skills to use the tools she inherited from me, to get to where I'm at, yet...

And made in the image of someone is not the same as saying they are interchangeable.. The image is the facsimile -- the image in the mirror is not the same as the thing that is standing before the mirror. It can duplicate all the motions, but never initiate them...

And being flawed by the effects of the Fall, all the tools we have, are liable to be corrupted. All the inward things are liable to be deceived.

So this is the Reach from God: as we form the thought to seek, He draws nearer. He then does the preparation...the internal is corrected bit by bit -- alignment first, then understanding, then changing into images....that reflect the Creator.

The only preparation the Creator is interested in is a desire to obey Him...it's the only preparation that is effective. From that, all else developes.....

But there is no bootstrapping....we can't as fallen, non-spiritually corrected beings, connect to the spiritual without receiving a true spiritual nature...only God can bestow that...You can't create something out of nothing -- only God can (that's one of the definitions of God - One who can bring into existence) -- so you can't create your own spiritual nature...

Yes, we are composed of body, soul, and spirit...but all are corrupted. When I say you can't create your own spiritual nature, I mean a spiritual nature that connects to God. Unconnected to God, your spiritual nature by default is the same as Satan's spiritual nature. (Sounds abhorrent doesn't it -- yeah, that's what God says).

To reach the incorruptible, you must be also; because incorruptible cannot tolerate that which is corruptible. (You can't have light and dark at the same time...light will always banish the dark) This is the definition of holy...it means separate...It is separate from anything corruptable...by its very nature...
To approach the incorruptible, you must be also...so how to be incorruptible? If it's impugned to you, given to you as a gift, made by someone incorruptible covering you as a shield and 'loaning' their nature to you...then you can begin to approach the incorruptible.

The tools we have are the clues to begin the search...but NO tool we own can 'fix' ourselves. We look outward to begin our journey...and even when upon the journey, our focus never changes....when achieving our goals -- our focus never changes...

And as to focus on destination...the destination is towards God...heaven is anywhere God dwells...to seek and gain fellowship and dwelling with God, is to automatically gain heaven...heaven is merely an environment...not really a destination (only as a by-product) in and of itself...

We are the canvas that God paints upon...the canvas has no power to paint upon itself, it can't even paint itself no matter how intimately it knows itself...a self-portrait by a painting can't be done...it requires an artist...and no amount of self-effort will change a canvas into an artist...

However, some have a concept of heaven as a place of paradise, where they can do whatever they desire...and God is like an afterthought -- like the playground designer who builds and then leaves -- and in that heaven, they are just like they are now...only they become their own god, and grant themselves what ever they desire....
Yes, I can see why some would seek that kind of heaven...and this is why I interjected my thoughts, because my point is that concept of a godless heaven is an illusion...and the inner heart of the corruptible will deceive and have itself chasing a heaven constructed by itself -- that holds no true Reality. And so, to seek within could be the very worst place, because it would hold the dearest lies....

Looking back at this, I see that it seems totally anti-self...(more a function of over-correcting in steering)...it's not what I intended...

There is much internal looking to be done...examining the motives of your heart...following your intuition...listening to your conscience...self analysis of your thought processes...looking for flaws in logic...feeling emotional responses as feedback to what you learn and do...reaching back into your ancestral heritage...testing your internal fortitude, discipline, and determination...finding your balance and harmony...experiencing life....

oh, well...

...you can't follow yourself...follow God...

...I get overtaken with this fence-post mentality...and this witness thing kicks in...

[The Greek word for witness was also used as a descriptive of a funnel-shaped arrangement of upright poles that guided the movement of creatures into their barn]

...So my post was more like defining terms for other Calling Ones...refining much like Paul would...(should be stamped 'for internal circulation only')...this is like the letter (epistle) to the cyber-bound...but all can peek over the shoulder and see how the principle of teaching is done among the Calling Ones...(I wish autoimmune was here to balance out my gruff style...)...

So the shades of distinction in how the 'Kingdom within' is perceived is exactly that -- a matter of perspective...the peculiar nature of the perspective (or 'point of view', or 'where we place the camera and where we aim the lens at') of Calling Ones is partially contained in their name...they call out to God, or call upon God, or even God refers to them as being called...

And like the visual imagery of angels blowing trumpets before making their proclamations -- information is heralded before its arrival, a concept of travel - info or action moves from a point of origin, travels by messenger (in most cases - angels), is announced, and then received -- this break in action, between grace and illumination; puts a step of deliberation between that bestowing of wisdom from the Creator, and the effect of enlightenment on the reciprient...

And why this pause? Because cause and effect delivered simultaneously, has the feel of 'as I think it - so it is' -- The 'Giver' and the 'receiver' have no sense of distance...there is no feel of 'approaching' up to God...no feel of God 'reaching out' down to His creation...

(I realize I'm anthropomorphizing God, but in my cosmology, the God/Man Yashua legitimized thinking from that perspective by insisting Himself that God wants us to relate to Him in those human terms.) (This is where being 'made in the image of God' comes in...we share essential elements that He wants to express through us...)

(And I realize that linearity is such a restrictive viewpoint, but it's the only 'narrow gate' lens we have, stuck here in 3D, to engage ALL of our senses to analyse...I could intuit something in its wholeness - but not touch all parts of it...I could express by symbol shades of meaning -- but not be able to verbalize it...

But using the tool we are stuck with -- our linear lives -- the very thing we try to escape from -- IS the proper lens He gave us, as being the proper approach designed for us to do our part in becoming victorious over the Fall...getting the jump on being eternal beings, skips the essential metamorphosis that's brought about by our linear actions...the linear actions in birth to death; seed developing in growth to fruit and then repeating; the sacrifice of parent for child; the stranger aiding the hurting; etc.; are 'tip-of-the-iceberg' physical representations of spiritual concepts that need that linearity to fully involve the body/soul/spirit for that concept to integrate with the self...)

But cause, and then effect - in its measured approach - gives a flow-type texture to the bestowing of grace and the flush of understanding that results. It gives a linear feel of being a conduit - receiving - and passing along...

So, ok, I'm not denigrating or invalidating your point of view, in fact, I understand exactly what you're saying...and it's much the same most Christian mystics have said...and I too agree with -- it was that very 'looking within' that showed me where I stood [definition of humility]; and of course began my search for Him there, where if He was missing from my heart - then where was He?...and being in ignorance, of course, your starting point is realizing 'I am ignorent'...which isn't going to happen until you look within...

It's just that I've found some who have taken the 'seek the Kingdom within' as a 'short-cut', a license to believe and do as they wish; whatever they invent or imagine has validity simply because their heart generated it; and they haven't developed the discipline to distinguish the imprudent from the inspired...For those on that part of the journey, I offer a word of caution -- that to avoid the pitfall of perhaps being deceived by yourself -- put your focus externally...(not that you couldn't be deceived by external things - of course you can) - but looking for verification externally, gets you in the habit of checking for truth from multiple sources; rather than the one single internal (and perhaps subjective) one.

(I mistrust the 'it feels right', simply because I stood at several markers in my life and felt that; and now looking back realize that my feeling had mislead me...Not that there aren't some things that I still 'feel to be right' that are still with me - stronger than ever - but I don't rely solely on that 'feeling' to convince me of its Truth.)

Now I realize why some passages in the Bible seem convoluted -- by the time you put in enough qualifiers to refine what you're trying to say clearly enough - that our definitions and perceptions of our concepts are illustrated enough to remove ambiguity or mistranslation - it becomes a slow linear process to follow...

I apologize for the teleporting here and there, skipping and stuttering, don't want ideas to be ponderous or tedious...this is the value of stories and parables -- linearity suddenly blossoms into multidimensional insight...wish I was more competent at poetry or storytelling